As our aircraft fought its way through the monsoon clouds hanging low over the city of Pune, a sense of unease gripped the passengers. Not even Captain Collin James’ calm voice could fight off the mid-air turbulence.
But the rough treatment meted out to the jumbo jet was not close to what Emlyn Aubrey experienced as his flight headed from Pakistan towards Delhi.
20 years back, Emlyn, an American professional golfer embarked on his second trip to India to compete in the Indian Open to be played at the Delhi Golf Club. But no sooner had the flight taken off, he was greeted with a hole in the plane, or so goes the story. Narrating the incident to us, Emlyn says, “It happened on the way to Delhi in ’89. It wasn’t a “hole” but a separation between the wall and the floor. I could stick my whole hand in there. I saw daylight when the landing gear was down but thankfully it went away when the landing gear was raised for cruising.”
And how did he deal with the situation? “I remember covering the gap with my foot in hopes of maintaining cabin pressure. Silly, but true,” he answers.
And you think it’s rocket science?
The story had made its way across the Atlantic, and when he briefly flirted with the lead at the US Open later that year, the Chicago Tribune story read, “Emlyn Aubrey has seen snakes in the rough, wild monkeys in the trees and a hole in the bottom of an airplane at 25,000 feet. But none of his experiences on the Asian Tour could compare with the brief glimpse of his name atop the leader board in the 89th U.S. Open.”
But the dodgy flight is not his only connection to India. In 1994, Emlyn came back to India one last time and walked away with the Indian Open trophy at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. Taking us back to his win, he says, “I had played there a few years earlier and I really liked the golf course. I just played well and ended up beating everybody that week. The champion’s party afterward was incredible: music, traditional dance and great food!”
Winning in Calcutta made the victory a little more special for him. “I think Royal Calcutta is the oldest golf course outside Great Britain. It is an honour to have played there,” he says.
His first impressions of India might not have been great but a visit to one special attraction was something that he cannot forget. “I am a bit adventurous, and once golf was done for the day, I was able to get out and sightsee. Of course no trip to India is complete without seeing the Taj Mahal. One of the best experiences I have ever had. If I had to choose one place to take my family, it would be there. To think it was built by hand and the materials they used… just mindblowing.”
Today, a 45-year-old Emlyn teaches golf at the Centernary College in Indiana. And the teacher would be more than happy to impart lessons to pupils from India.
But would he like to entertain thoughts of another flight from Pakistan to India? Well, the jury is still out on that one.
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